RuAviation

The Irkutsk Aviation Plant has secured MC-21 production commitments through 2032 following a second firm order from Aeroflot for 90 aircraft, according to plant director Andrei Soinov. The contract will follow an earlier Aeroflot order, with deliveries under the new agreement starting in 2029.

The plant currently has 18 MC-21-310 aircraft in production under the first Aeroflot contract. Eight are due for delivery in 2027 and the remaining 10 in 2028. The second contract calls for 14 aircraft in 2029 and 18 in 2030, with output then increasing towards the programme target of 36 aircraft per year.

The production ramp-up will be gradual. The plant is still working through accumulated work-in-progress, and the final assembly line has not yet reached a stable takt. The target for 2027 is a 40-day assembly cycle, with the cycle subsequently reduced to 10 days to support an annual output of 36 aircraft.

Soinov said the existing production infrastructure is sufficient to support the target rate, although capacity constraints remain at some manufacturing stages. An investment programme will address these bottlenecks through additional machining and metal-forming equipment. The remaining investment programme is scheduled for implementation between 2027 and 2029.

The plant does not currently intend to raise output above 36 MC-21s a year. Potential export agreements are being considered, but any additional commitments would be scheduled beyond 2032. The decision reflects the plant’s preference for a stable production rate rather than expanding capacity for demand that could fluctuate.

Supply-chain synchronisation is also being incorporated into the production ramp-up. The Irkutsk plant is working with suppliers to move towards just-in-time deliveries, reducing the need to hold components in storage. Wing consoles shipped from Ulyanovsk, for example, are to be synchronised with fuselage mating operations in Irkutsk.

The production plan indicates that the MC-21 programme is moving from the initial delivery phase towards serial production at a defined industrial rate. Achieving 36 aircraft annually will depend on completing the remaining capacity upgrades and maintaining a stable flow of components across the supply chain.